36. Christopher McDougall: Born to run

The UK’s favourite fitness coach is back with series three of his podcast. This summer, Joe is speaking to inspirational friends and some of his favourite people to ask them what they do to keep themselves feeling mentally and physically strong.In the final episode of the series Joe speaks to someone who, one afternoon, inspired Joe to leave his house and run a marathon across London, eventually coming home after dark. It's the author of Born to Run and former war correspondent, Christopher McDougall.Chris’ story begins with a persistent foot injury, which meant he was told by doctors he would never run again. Then Chris came across an extraordinary group of people in Mexico – the world's greatest distance runners, who run into the old age without rest or injury. He tells Joe about learning to run with the Tarahumara Indians – and what made the tribe such incredible athletes. Chris took on the challenge of joining them on a 50-mile race through the canyons.Joe and Chris discuss how to get into running as a beginner, tips for perfecting your form, why you should find your tribe and how to keep the play and fun alive.This is sunshine in a podcast. Joe Wicks is here for you, and he won’t stop until you’re fit and happy.Producer: Eliza Lomas Editor: Dimitri Houtart A BBC Audio Bristol production for Radio 4

The UK’s favourite fitness coach is back with series three of his podcast. This summer, Joe is speaking to inspirational friends and some of his favourite people to ask them what they do to keep themselves feeling mentally and physically strong.Joe's guest this week is presenter and author Katie Piper. Katie was the victim of an acid attack in 2008 which left her with life-changing injuries. In the years that followed Katie has spoken and written about her experiences, and established a foundation to help other people who have suffered similar injuries. Katie talks to Joe about how she recovered her mental and physical health after the attack, and the part exercise played in her recovery. They discuss how she views and preserves her self-confidence today, and why they are both so honest about themselves on social media. They talk about the challenges of balancing work with parenting, and Katie explains how you can be kind to yourself just by writing an email.This is sunshine in a podcast. Joe Wicks is here for you, and he won’t stop until you’re fit and happy.Producer: Toby Field Editor: Dimitri Houtart A BBC Audio Bristol production for Radio 4

The UK’s favourite fitness coach is back with series three of his podcast. This summer, Joe is speaking to inspirational friends and some of his favourite people to ask them what they do to keep themselves feeling mentally and physically strong.In this episode Joe chats to one of the most successful writers in Britain today – Caitlin Moran. She's the author of seven books including How To Be a Woman, which has sold over a million copies, How to Build A Girl, which has been adapted into a film, and More Than A Woman, which came out in 2020. She also has two popular weekly columns in The Times. Catlin Moran was born in a council estate in Wolverhampton, the eldest of eight children, and went on to become globally famous for her writing. From becoming a published novelist aged 16, to being a star columnist at The Times aged 18, she tells Joe her incredible life story. Joe and Caitlin connect over their shared experience of a difficult childhood, and discuss how this still affects them today. Opening up about her struggles with anxiety and her daughter's eating disorder, Caitlin reveals what she's learnt along the way, and how a good dose of humour and optimism has got her through. This is sunshine in a podcast. Joe Wicks is here for you, and he won’t stop until you’re fit and happy.If you need support with mental health and self-harm, details are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.Producer: Eliza Lomas Editor: Dimitri Houtart A BBC Audio Bristol production for Radio 4

The UK’s favourite fitness coach is back with series three of his podcast. This summer, Joe is speaking to inspirational friends and some of his favourite people to ask them what they do to keep themselves feeling mentally and physically strong.In this episode Joe chats to freestyle footballer and online creative Jeremy Lynch. As one half of the F2 Freestylers, Jeremy started out performing his tricks at half-time shows and events, but it was when they started posting videos on Youtube that things really took off. He went on to work with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. His comedy skits on TikTok amassed millions of followers leading to opportunities to branch out into presenting, interviewing Hollywood A-listers like Tom Holland, Zendaya and Daniel Craig. Jeremy and Joe speak about his transition from footballer to creative and how it's enabled him to provide for his family. They discuss the amount of work involved in producing so much content, and why perfection is a flawed concept, even for a perfectionist. Jeremy talks about why reconnecting with nature has been hugely important to his mental health, his relationship with music, and why he prioritises adding value to himself and those around him both in real life and online. He talks about his relationship with his wife Shauna, and why he'd love to direct a feature-length film.This is sunshine in a podcast. Joe Wicks is here for you, and he won’t stop until you’re fit and happy.Producer: Toby Field Editor: Dimitri Houtart A BBC Audio Bristol production for Radio 4

The UK’s favourite fitness coach is back with series three of his podcast. This summer, Joe is speaking to inspirational friends and some of his favourite people to ask them what they do to keep themselves feeling mentally and physically strong.In this episode Joe chats to TV baker, presenter and author Nadiya Hussain, who shot to fame in 2015 after winning The Great British Bake Off. Nadiya has not only only inspired millions to bake, but has also raised vital conversations about mental health.Joe and Nadiya chat about her upbringing in Luton and how her parents taught her to love cooking – from her dad's legendary sheep roasting every weekend to her mum's homely, traditional Bangladeshi dinners. They also discuss Nadiya's struggles with anxiety and depression along the way, and how she's learnt to cope through walking in the woods.This is sunshine in a podcast. Joe Wicks is here for you, and he won’t stop until you’re fit and happy.Producer: Eliza Lomas Editor: Dimitri Houtart A BBC Audio Bristol production for Radio 4

The UK’s favourite fitness coach is back with series three of his podcast. This summer, Joe is speaking to inspirational friends and some of his favourite people to ask them what they do to keep themselves feeling mentally and physically strong. In this episode Joe chats to Michelin-starred chef and TV presenter, Tom Kerridge. He’s had an incredible journey, from growing up on a council estate to becoming a chef and entrepreneur running five restaurants and a butchers shop. He’s also gone on a journey with his health as well – from staying up all hours and becoming clinically obese - to losing 12 stone and writing books to help others get through it too. Joe and Tom chat about his life – from where his work ethic came from, to his radical health transformation and then more recently, new fatherhood. This is sunshine in a podcast. Joe Wicks is here for you, and he won’t stop until you’re fit and happy. Producer: Eliza Lomas Editor: Dimitri Houtart A BBC Audio Bristol production for Radio 4

The UK’s favourite fitness coach is back with series three of his podcast. This summer, Joe will be speaking to inspirational friends and some of his favourite people to ask them what they do to keep themselves feeling mentally and physically strong in the face of life’s little challenges. It might be starting the morning in an ice bath or cosying up with a good book; every guest will share the one thing that works for them in the hope it might inspire you to try something new.Joe's guests this week are David and Stephen Flynn, AKA The Happy Pear. These two identical twins from Ireland are on a mission to get everyone to eat more fruit and veg. Dave and Steve were the archetypal rugby-playing jocks with an eye on financial success, but after some time spent travelling and reflecting on life, they jointly embarked on a veg revolution! They opened a greengrocers in 2004 in their hometown of Greystones, a small town south of Dublin. Cafes and shops followed, and their online courses and recipes saw them become internet stars. They’re a real bundle of energy these two, always moving and trying new things. They talk to Joe about their daily sea swims, the importance of community as the root of happiness, and what they do when the chips are down. There's even time to coach Joe on how to do the perfect handstand!This is sunshine in a podcast. Joe Wicks is here for you, and he won’t stop until you’re fit and happy.Producer: Toby Field Editor: Dimitri Houtart A BBC Audio Bristol production for Radio 4

The UK’s favourite fitness coach is back with series three of his podcast. This summer, Joe will be speaking to inspirational friends and some of his favourite people to ask them what they do to keep themselves feeling mentally and physically strong in the face of life’s little challenges. It might be starting the morning in an ice bath or cosying up with a good book; every guest will share the one thing that works for them in the hope it might inspire you to try something new.Joe's guest this week is clinical psychologist Dr Julie Smith. In November 2019 Julie started posting bite-sized videos explaining how the mind works and what we can do to change. These short insights into subjects such as depression, anxiety and our positive and negative inner voice have seen Julie amass over three million followers online, and Joe shared one of her videos about anxiety involving an inflating (and eventually exploding) exercise ball. Together they discuss the impact of Julie's work on mental health, how they both handle the messages they receive from people looking for help and advice, and Julie's response to Joe's documentary 'Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood'. Joe's keen to find out why motivation isn't consistent, and they discuss the power of accepting your own thoughts and why negative voices are just repeated messages from the past that can be changed. Julie's first book is called Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?.This is sunshine in a podcast. Joe Wicks is here for you, and he won’t stop until you’re fit and happy.Producer: Toby Field Editor: Dimitri Houtart A BBC Audio Bristol production for Radio 4

The UK’s favourite fitness coach is back with series three of his podcast. This summer, Joe will be speaking to inspirational friends and some of his favourite people to ask them what they do to keep themselves feeling mentally and physically strong in the face of life’s little challenges. It might be starting the morning in an ice bath or cosying up with a good book; every guest will share the one thing that works for them in the hope it might inspire you to try something new.This week, Joe is finding out more about sleep: something which Joe has come to understand as the foundation of everything else in life: eating healthily, exercising regularly, and helping with relationships and stress. Joe discusses all of this and much more with the scientist Dr Matthew Walker. He’s the founder of “The Centre for Human Sleep Science” at the University of California and he wrote the bestselling book Why We Sleep.Together they chat about everything from how sleep affects diet and mental health, to what's going on in the brain when we dream, and Matt's top tips for better sleep.This is sunshine in a podcast. Joe Wicks is here for you, and he won’t stop until you’re fit and happy.Producer: Eliza Lomas Editor: Dimitri Houtart A BBC Audio Bristol production for Radio 4

The UK’s favourite fitness coach is back with series three of his podcast. This summer, Joe will be speaking to inspirational friends and some of his favourite people to ask them what they do to keep themselves feeling mentally and physically strong.In this episode Joe chats to Sam Ryder, who he's been a fan of ever since he started posting clips of himself singing online. After representing the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with his song Space Man – now a number one hit record – Sam's life has changed dramatically, with new fans around the world.Fresh from performing in front of Buckingham Palace at the Queen's Jubilee, Sam and Joe chat about hard graft, finding fame in your 30s, Sam's time as a wedding singer and what he does to stay grounded.This is sunshine in a podcast. Joe Wicks is here for you, and he won’t stop until you’re fit and happy.Producer: Eliza Lomas Editor: Dimitri Houtart A BBC Audio Bristol production for Radio 4